PDF Watermark Remover#

Remove image-based watermarks from PDF files by surgically deleting the drawing instructions from content streams and removing XObject resource references. This produces clean results with no visible artifacts (no white/black rectangles, no color mismatches).

When to Use#

• User wants to remove a watermark from a PDF
• User says "去水印", "remove watermark", "去掉水印", "去PDF水印"
• PDF has a "Made with Gamma", Canva, or similar branded watermark
• PDF has an image-based watermark in a corner or specific position

How It Works#

The removal process targets the root cause — the PDF content stream instructions that draw the watermark image — rather than covering or replacing the image:

1. Detect: Scan each page for images matching watermark characteristics (position + size)
2. Map: Build XObject name-to-xref mapping from the page's resource dictionary
3. Remove from content stream: Delete the q...cm.../Name Do...Q drawing instruction
4. Remove from resources: Delete the watermark entry from the XObject dictionary
5. Save with garbage collection to clean up orphaned objects

This approach leaves zero visual artifacts because the watermark simply never gets drawn.

Workflow#

Step 1: Analyze the Watermark#

Before running the script, determine the watermark's characteristics:

1. Open the PDF and identify the watermark visually
2. Note its position (typically bottom-right corner) and approximate size
3. If it's a link (clickable), note the domain (e.g. gamma.app)

Step 2: Run the Removal Script#

Execute scripts/remove_watermark.py:

bash

python scripts/remove_watermark.py <input.pdf> <output.pdf> [options]

Common options:

OptionDefaultDescription--x-threshold700X position threshold — images with x0 > this value are candidates--min-w / --max-w100 / 200Width range for watermark detection--min-h / --max-h20 / 50Height range for watermark detection--remove-linksoffAlso remove link annotations--link-domainallOnly remove links containing this domain

Gamma watermark example:

bash

python scripts/remove_watermark.py input.pdf output.pdf --remove-links --link-domain gamma.app

Custom position watermark (e.g. top-left):

bash

python scripts/remove_watermark.py input.pdf output.pdf --x-threshold 0 --min-w 50 --max-w 300 --min-h 10 --max-h 80

Step 3: Verify#

Open the output PDF and check:

• Watermark is completely gone (no visual remnants)
• No color patches, rectangles, or artifacts in the watermark area
• Page content is otherwise intact

Troubleshooting#

ProblemCauseSolutionWatermark still visiblePosition/size doesn't match detection thresholdsAdjust --x-threshold, --min-w/max-w, --min-h/max-h

• Watermark still visible after adjustment | Watermark may be text-based, not image-based | This skill only handles image watermarks; for text watermarks, use redaction or content stream editing | | Other images accidentally removed | Detection thresholds too broad | Narrow the width/height/position ranges | | Black/white rectangle appears | Old approach used image replacement instead of content stream deletion | This skill uses content stream deletion — this should not happen |

Key Technical Insight#

Why not overlay/replace? Three approaches that DON'T work well:

1. White rectangle overlay — Visible on non-white backgrounds, misses rounded corners
2. Image data replacement with 1x1 pixel — PDF renders the 1x1 pixel scaled up as a colored rectangle (black for transparent, white for white pixel)
3. delete_image API — Only clears image data, doesn't remove the XObject reference or content stream Do instruction; renders as blank/colored rectangle

The correct approach (used by this skill): Delete the Do instruction from the content stream and the /Name xref R entry from the XObject dictionary. The watermark image data becomes an orphaned object that gets garbage-collected on save.

Requirements#

• Python 3.8+
• pymupdf ( pip install pymupdf)